yet another "luffy finally finds the one piece" story
So the recent chapters of One Piece have sparked a flurry of heartwarming and insightful Ace-centric fanfiction. Here, for your pleasure, is my contribution (warning: large images embedded):
Raftel: the last island on the Grand Line, on which Gold Roger, the infamous Pirate King, was rumored to have hidden his fabled treasure, the One Piece. For the past twenty years pirates of all shape and caliber had sailed, plundered, fought, killed, and died to reach this, the ultimate treasure horde. Yes, countless numbers had tried, but none had succeeded.
Until now.
Luffy was the first to reach the shore, followed quickly by Roronoa Zoro and then the rest of the crew. Luffy stopped to dance a little jig - finally! Raftel! and him standing on its beach! - but had barely set his feet pounding the sand before Nami and Sanji lifted him bodily up by the elbows.
"Stop goofing around!" Nami hissed angrily, even as she dragged him at break-neck speed across the terrain. "They're coming, you know!"
"Aw, let them come!" Luffy retorted. He twisted out of his captors' grip, righted himself, then took off running ahead of everyone else. "It'll be more fun if they do!"
They, of course, were the World Government, the Marines, and the other pirates who also laid claim to Gold Roger's treasure. All of them, at one point or another, had spent time chasing this strange, black-haired, crescent-scarred boy, seemingly across every inch of water in the world. Now they were so close to catching him, and - what luck! - he'd led them straight to the One Piece, too.
It wasn't long before the first Marines scrambled ashore, and then the first pirates, and more and more until the hitherto empty island was crawling with humanity, all of whom had some sort of quarrel with everyone else there. But they laid all quarrels aside for the time being in their collective mission to reach Strawhat Luffy, defeat him, and claim the One Piece for themselves.
For his part, Luffy paid the mob of pursuers no attention. He ran steadily up the large mountain at the center of the island, occasionally shouting encouragement to his crew. It was not very long before the Strawhats reached the summit. Nami, Usopp, and Chopper immediately collapsed to the ground, panting, while Luffy and the others looked around eagerly for anything that might resemble pirate treasure.
There was nothing. Nothing except for a tree. And an old man sprawled at the base of the tree, sleeping.
Luffy ran over and kicked him gingerly in the side. "Hey, old man!" he bawled. "You're not dead, are you?"
"Eh? What? What's all this commotion?" The old man sat up and rubbed his eyes. Blearily, he took in Luffy with his wide-eyed, friendly gaze, the motley assemble standing behind him - including a reindeer, a cyborg, and a seven-foot skeleton - and then beyond, at the horde of people swarming up the mountain side. The old man got to his feet, joints creaking audibly.
"So you made it, have yer?" he said amiably.
"Yeah!" Luffy answered eagerly. "I'm looking for the One Piece, 'cause I'm gonna be the next Pirate King! You don't happen to know where I could find it, do you?" he added.
"One Piece, is it?" the old man answered. "Then that would make you Ace, I suppose."
Luffy blinked. "No, that's my brother," he said. "I'm Monkey D. Luffy."
"Well, I can't be lettin' you have the One Piece then," the old man said testily. "Twenty years ago Gold Roger tole me to keep a guard on it 'till the right person came along, an' that's what I'm doin'. 'Less Gol D. Ace or Gol D. Anne comes up, ain't nobody gettin' the One Piece." He crossed his arms in finality.
Luckily, he was spared bodily harm as a polite voice broke through the growing crowd.
"Did someone call my name? I'm Ace."
Luffy's elder brother strode into the little circle at the top of the mountain, freckled and grim-faced, but his manners were as courteous as ever. "Did you call me?" he repeated.
The old man looked Ace up and down approvingly. "Yeah, I called ya," he grunted. "If you're Gold Roger's son, then you're the only person in the world with a claim on the One Piece."
An angry mutter started up among the crowd below, but it died down again as Ace spoke. "I don't want it," he said evenly. "I don't consider myself Gold Roger's kin."
The old man shrugged. "That's not my business. My job's just to give it to Gold Roger's kid."
"Take it, Ace," Luffy whispered to his brother. "Then I'll fight you for it!"
Ace glanced briefly at Luffy, then looked back at the old man. "All right," he said reluctantly. "I'll look at it, I suppose."
"Good boy," the old man said. He began patting at the pockets of his tattered, graying shirt. "Now, where did I put it...ah! Here!" With a flourish, he produced a folded, yellowed piece of paper, and then cleared his throat noisily.
Raftel: the last island on the Grand Line, on which Gold Roger, the infamous Pirate King, was rumored to have hidden his fabled treasure, the One Piece. For the past twenty years pirates of all shape and caliber had sailed, plundered, fought, killed, and died to reach this, the ultimate treasure horde. Yes, countless numbers had tried, but none had succeeded.
Until now.
Luffy was the first to reach the shore, followed quickly by Roronoa Zoro and then the rest of the crew. Luffy stopped to dance a little jig - finally! Raftel! and him standing on its beach! - but had barely set his feet pounding the sand before Nami and Sanji lifted him bodily up by the elbows.
"Stop goofing around!" Nami hissed angrily, even as she dragged him at break-neck speed across the terrain. "They're coming, you know!"
"Aw, let them come!" Luffy retorted. He twisted out of his captors' grip, righted himself, then took off running ahead of everyone else. "It'll be more fun if they do!"
They, of course, were the World Government, the Marines, and the other pirates who also laid claim to Gold Roger's treasure. All of them, at one point or another, had spent time chasing this strange, black-haired, crescent-scarred boy, seemingly across every inch of water in the world. Now they were so close to catching him, and - what luck! - he'd led them straight to the One Piece, too.
It wasn't long before the first Marines scrambled ashore, and then the first pirates, and more and more until the hitherto empty island was crawling with humanity, all of whom had some sort of quarrel with everyone else there. But they laid all quarrels aside for the time being in their collective mission to reach Strawhat Luffy, defeat him, and claim the One Piece for themselves.
For his part, Luffy paid the mob of pursuers no attention. He ran steadily up the large mountain at the center of the island, occasionally shouting encouragement to his crew. It was not very long before the Strawhats reached the summit. Nami, Usopp, and Chopper immediately collapsed to the ground, panting, while Luffy and the others looked around eagerly for anything that might resemble pirate treasure.
There was nothing. Nothing except for a tree. And an old man sprawled at the base of the tree, sleeping.
Luffy ran over and kicked him gingerly in the side. "Hey, old man!" he bawled. "You're not dead, are you?"
"Eh? What? What's all this commotion?" The old man sat up and rubbed his eyes. Blearily, he took in Luffy with his wide-eyed, friendly gaze, the motley assemble standing behind him - including a reindeer, a cyborg, and a seven-foot skeleton - and then beyond, at the horde of people swarming up the mountain side. The old man got to his feet, joints creaking audibly.
"So you made it, have yer?" he said amiably.
"Yeah!" Luffy answered eagerly. "I'm looking for the One Piece, 'cause I'm gonna be the next Pirate King! You don't happen to know where I could find it, do you?" he added.
"One Piece, is it?" the old man answered. "Then that would make you Ace, I suppose."
Luffy blinked. "No, that's my brother," he said. "I'm Monkey D. Luffy."
"Well, I can't be lettin' you have the One Piece then," the old man said testily. "Twenty years ago Gold Roger tole me to keep a guard on it 'till the right person came along, an' that's what I'm doin'. 'Less Gol D. Ace or Gol D. Anne comes up, ain't nobody gettin' the One Piece." He crossed his arms in finality.
Luckily, he was spared bodily harm as a polite voice broke through the growing crowd.
"Did someone call my name? I'm Ace."
Luffy's elder brother strode into the little circle at the top of the mountain, freckled and grim-faced, but his manners were as courteous as ever. "Did you call me?" he repeated.
The old man looked Ace up and down approvingly. "Yeah, I called ya," he grunted. "If you're Gold Roger's son, then you're the only person in the world with a claim on the One Piece."
An angry mutter started up among the crowd below, but it died down again as Ace spoke. "I don't want it," he said evenly. "I don't consider myself Gold Roger's kin."
The old man shrugged. "That's not my business. My job's just to give it to Gold Roger's kid."
"Take it, Ace," Luffy whispered to his brother. "Then I'll fight you for it!"
Ace glanced briefly at Luffy, then looked back at the old man. "All right," he said reluctantly. "I'll look at it, I suppose."
"Good boy," the old man said. He began patting at the pockets of his tattered, graying shirt. "Now, where did I put it...ah! Here!" With a flourish, he produced a folded, yellowed piece of paper, and then cleared his throat noisily.